| This is the time of year when people's thoughts | | | | numbers. |
| turn to giving and ways we can help those who | | | | 2. Shelters - Visit a shelter and help serve the |
| are less fortunate than us, particularly homeless | | | | holiday meal. Take along hygiene kits for those |
| people. You may think that there are just too | | | | who may not have enough. |
| many people to help and you can't do anything | | | | 3. Make sense of your spare change- It's just |
| because we're just one person. Well, you CAN do | | | | collecting dust in your house, so why not collect all |
| something to help the homeless and there are so | | | | that spare change and donate it to a homeless |
| many ways you can "pay it forward" without | | | | shelter or use it to buy hygiene-kit items? |
| going broke or giving up all your spare time. So, | | | | 4. Pay it Forward - If someone's done something |
| while you're buying the gifts, decorations and food | | | | nice for you when you needed an extra hand, |
| this holiday season, you might want to stop and | | | | remember to pay it forward when you can. If we |
| think about how lucky you are to have all the | | | | all did this, imagine what a great world we'd live in! |
| things you have (including a home) and how you | | | | 5. Say "hello" - Most homeless people are almost |
| might help those who are less lucky. | | | | always harmless. They're also lonely and sad and |
| Here are some great, cheap ways to help the | | | | wish someone would notice them. Even if you |
| homeless: | | | | can't do anything else, a simple "hello' can mean a |
| 1. Hygiene kits - These are easy and cheap to | | | | lot to someone with nothing. With all the hustle |
| assemble. Homeless people don't have what they | | | | and bustle of the holiday season, it can be very |
| need to stay clean and assembling hygiene kits | | | | easy to look away and wait for someone else to |
| with basic items like soap, toothpaste, a | | | | help a homeless person. But, especially in this |
| toothbrush and shaving items can make a big | | | | season of giving, YOU can choose to make a |
| difference for someone with nowhere to live. | | | | difference in the life of someone who just needs |
| Keep them in your glove compartment and give | | | | you to care AND do something - anything. It |
| them out as you see homeless people. If you | | | | doesn't need to be a big, expensive show; it just |
| don't have time to make hygiene kits you can | | | | needs to be thoughtful and useful. Because, when |
| find some cheap on line from Guiltless Giving and | | | | you're homeless, it takes everything you have to |
| the kits include a reference card of phone | | | | help get you through each day. |